Univ. of Puerto Rico Students Declare Victory After Agreement with Administrators

June 17, 2010Students Gain After Strike in Puerto RicoBy DAMIEN CAVEMIAMI — Thousands of students at the University of Puerto Rico who went onstrike two months ago to oppose severe budget cuts declared victory onThursday after reaching an agreement with administrators.As part of a deal brokered by a court-appointed mediator, students would endtheir strike — one of the largest and longest such walkouts in Puerto Ricanhistory — in exchange for a number of concessions. Most notably, theuniversity’s Board of Regents has agreed to cancel a special fee that wouldhave effectively doubled the cost to attend the university’s 11 publiccampuses.The deal also includes a promise that there will be no sanctions againststrike organizers, who clashed at times with the police at the main RíoPiedras campus outside San Juan.The accord must still be approved by a general assembly of universitystudents, which is expected Monday. Christopher Powers, a literatureprofessor at the Mayagüez campus, said it was “nearly a complete victory forthe students,” noting that they failed to get a promise that there would beno large tuition increase next year. Professor Powers said planned cutslater this year to the salaries and benefits of professors could set offanother round of conflict.“The fact that a student movement was able to force the administration andthe government to sit down at the negotiating table and concede to nearlyall their demands is a very important precedent,” Professor Powers said. “Itwill serve as an inspiration.”